The weekly routine, shortened
- Take the recording the band is learning from, or a video of the song, and upload it.
- A few minutes later the piano part is written out.
- Pick the key your worship leader asked for. The whole score moves, key signature and all.
- Print the PDF for the stand, or put it on a tablet.
Next week, when the same song is wanted a step lower for a different singer, open it from your library and change the key again. That costs nothing. Only new audio uses minutes.
Common key moves for congregational singing
Recorded worship songs are pitched for the lead singer, and a congregation often needs them lower. A few typical moves, to give you an idea:
| Recorded in | Often moved to | How far |
|---|---|---|
| B | A or G | Down a step, or down two |
| A | G | Down a step |
| E | D | Down a step |
| D | C | Down a step |
| B♭ | A♭ or G | Down a step, or a minor third |
Your singers decide in the end. The point is that trying a key costs you a click instead of an evening with a pencil.
When you only have chords
Most bands work from chord charts. The free chord transposer moves a chart with lyrics to the new key so the band and the piano match. Use the full score when you want the actual piano part from the recording: the intro riff, the voicings, the fill before the bridge.
Live recordings and full bands
The transcription is built for solo piano. A full band recording with drums, guitars and singers gives a messy score. If the song has a piano-only video, a piano cover, or you can record yourself playing it through roughly, that will give a much cleaner result to work from.
Copyright and your church
Writing out a song for your own practice is a normal private use. Copying it for the whole team or projecting it is usually covered by your church's licence, such as CCLI's; check what yours includes. Our copyright page has the plain version.